Ospi Venice

"Ospi is an excellent Italian restaurant in Venice that comes from the same people behind one of our other favorite Italian restaurants on the Westside: Jame Enoteca. Expect a wide-ranging menu full of tremendous antipasti, pizza, pasta, and big plates of meat that you can focus on while your boss hands out homemade “Zoom Blooper of the Year” awards. Capacity: For large-party inquiries, reach out here." - brant cox, nikko duren

"Often, the best pizzas are the ones that conjure up memories from your childhood - Little League post-game parties, afternoons spent at arcades, terrifying delivery drivers with a VHS copy of Angels With Filthy Souls, etc. - and the Hapa Pizza at Ospi is no different. Co-owner Melissa Saka’s tribute to the ground-pepperoni pies she grew up eating at Long Beach’s iconic Domenico’s, it’s topped with slow-roasted pineapple, pickled and raw jalapeños, and (of course) piles of spicy ground pepperoni, creating something that’s both nostalgic and pretty novel: An actually good Hawaiian pizza." - brant cox, brett keating

"Ospi is an excellent Italian restaurant one block from the boardwalk that comes from the same people behind one of our other favorite Italian restaurants on the Westside, Jame Enoteca. You come here to eat razor-thin pizzas, vodka sauce-covered pastas, and big plates of crispy scaled branzino and butter chicken served parm-style. There’s also a wrap-around front patio that works for almost any occasion, whether it be a first date or a rowdy, wine-drenched party with friends. Be sure to make reservations well in advance—Ospi gets incredibly busy on weekends." - brant cox, sylvio martins, nikko duren

"Venice’s Ospi does things a little differently with their chicken parmesan. First, it’s not really on the menu—you have to order their butter chicken “parm-style” for an extra five bucks. Second, there’s no marinara sauce involved; instead, you’ll find a heaping amount of their excellent spicy vodka sauce over their chicken cutlet, which is pan-fried with butter and lemon. The dish is showered with parmesan cheese, and fresh purple and green basil that give it an herbaceous punch. We don’t usually like when people f*ck with perfection, but this new take on a classic is a major exception." - kat hong, brett keating

"Venice’s Ospi is offering a $25 lunch menu that includes the choice of an antipasti and entree. Dishes include Japanese eggplant, Neapolitan meatballs, Caesar salad, spicy rigatoni, and pizza." - Rebecca Roland